Speculations are rife that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar may return to the INDIA bloc given that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s performance has not been what was predicted by exit polls.
The speculations erupted after a Samajwadi Party leader IP Singh wrote on his X account “Nitish was ours, is ours, and will remain ours. Hail hail Sita Ram.”
On January 29, the Bihar CM ditched the INDIA bloc to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He said that “things were not working for him.” Nitish Kumar had faced backlash from the members of the INDIA bloc with Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh calling him, “Girgit ko bhi karni padi naye rang ki khoj, ye shoorveer badalte hain itne rang roz (Even the chameleon had to search for a new colour as these ‘warriors’ change so many colours everyday).” on his X account.
Nitish, Naidu may dump NDA: RJD
The RJD on Tuesday afternoon claimed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party president Chandrababu Naidu “shared a dislike for vendetta politics” which could lead them away from the BJP-led NDA.
RJD national spokesperson Manoj Kumar Jha also recalled the forecast of Kumar, who heads the JD(U), that “those who came to power will be ousted in 2024”, and the efforts he made in laying the foundation of the INDIA bloc.
“We have been, formerly, in alliance with both Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu. We know they share a dislike for vendetta politics which the BJP stands for. Narendra Modi seems to be on his way out. We are hopeful that the two leaders will play a crucial role in the change of guard at the Centre,” Jha told reporters here.
Asked whether leaders of his party, including national president Lalu Prasad and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav, were in touch with Kumar, Jha cryptically replied “those who need to contact him are talking to him. Our leader Tejashwi Yadav has been saying for some time that Nitish Kumar will take a big decision around June 4”.
He also made it clear, “I am making no appeal to Nitish Kumar or Chandrababu Naidu. I am only expressing my hope, given the understanding I have of their temperament”.
In Bihar, the INDIA bloc was leading in only eight out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats but Jha was confident that the numbers would look up for the coalition in the state, even as he complained about the tardy pace of counting.
“We are confident that as the counting progresses, in many seats where we are trailing by slender margins, the picture will change. But we urge the Election Commission to carry out the exercise as per the rule book and not act on any telephone calls they may be getting from Delhi,” said the Rajya Sabha MP, who has been alleging that the poll panel has often acted under pressure from the ruling BJP at the Centre.
“To all our cadres in the INDIA coalition, I would appeal not to let their guard down. Counting may continue till late in the evening. We must remain vigilant,” said Jha.
Among the INDIA constituents in Bihar, RJD had contested 23 seats, out of which it was trailing in all but four, while Congress, which got nine seats, was leading in two. The CPI(ML) Liberation, which had contested three seats, was leading in two.
(With PTI inputs)
